Local Airports Are Community Assets by Phil Boyer, President, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

World Airline News, Feb 23, 1999

Whether a regional or local general aviation airport is public property or privately owned with public access, and whether it hosts commuter airline service or locally owned business or private aircraft, it's an important community asset.

The airport is an integral part of the community's economic engine. Besides the jobs and income it provides directly, the airport is instrumental in creating community income by businesses and industries that use general aviation (i.e., non-airline) transportation to facilitate their operations. Most corporations would never locate a plant, headquarters or distribution center in a community without a nearby airport.

In addition to direct spending by airport users, businesses and local industry, the "multiplier effect" of airports' positive economic impacts far outweigh any local public funding.

Because virtually all airports, large and small, are important elements of the national air transportation system, special taxes on the flying public funds grants-in-aid for construction and maintenance of runways and other infrastructure. This practice brings more money into the community, making the airport one of the best civic bargains available.

The local airport is the community's link to the national and international air transportation network. When the nearest major hub airport is an hour's drive away or more, the community airport can save valuable time with on-call charter of air taxi service.

Whether by charter or by company aircraft, the great advantage is the ability to fly on the traveler's own schedule, not the airline's. For the business traveler, the time saved translates into more business and freedom to get things done. When community businesses exploit these advantages, it's reflected in community economic health. Unfortunately, few regional and local airports have effectively promoted this aspect of their potential value to the community.

Airports' most evident social benefit is emergency medical, law enforcement and disaster relief services. Medevac airplanes or helicopters, usually based and/or serviced at the local airport, are the vital link in airlifting the injured from accidents or flying the sick to specialized treatment in distant cities.

Less well known are the thousands of angel flights flown by volunteer private pilots, who transport critically ill patients to emergency medical treatment. Law enforcement agencies also use local airports to stage airborne traffic control, search and rescue missions, pursuit of suspects and emergency evacuations. When the National Guard is mobilized, the local airport is the pathway and staging point for disaster relief efforts.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) puts a great deal of effort into supporting the nation's airports, particularly those general aviation facilities that come under attack from misguided local citizens groups or ambitious land developers.

One of the ways we do this is through our Airport Support Network (ASN), where members volunteer to keep and eye on local airports and advise AOPA headquarters of situations that may result in excessive operating restrictions or the closure of an airport.

AOPA also works with key civic, business and community leaders to stress that value of their local airports. AOPA urges airport managers and local pilot associations to consult with local government and citizen groups on planned airport activities and future development. As integral, functioning elements of community life and the local economy, airports must play a responsible role as partners with the community. >>AOPA, 310/695-2000<<